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A Palestinian aid worker who organized World Cup watch parties across the Gaza Strip was killed in an Israeli missile strike shortly before soccer fans gathered to watch the Egypt-Argentina game on Tuesday evening, according to a local hospital director.
Mohamed Al-Wahidi was the public relations director of the Egyptian Relief Committee in Gaza, which was established by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to provide humanitarian aid in the war-torn Palestinian territory.
Al-Wahidi had organized public screenings of FIFA World Cup matches across Gaza, drawing Palestinians of all ages to sit among rubble and on top of war-damaged buildings to watch the championship taking place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters
Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, the director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told The Associated Press Al-Wahidi was killed in an Israeli strike that hit a car in the city around dusk on Tuesday, right before a World Cup match between Egypt and Argentina got underway.
Selmiya said three others were killed in the attack, including the vehicle’s driver, Ahmed Daghmush, 33, and two brothers, 10-year-old Hamza al-Deri and 8-year-old Fari.
“On Tuesday, the IDF struck a terrorist in Hamas’ military wing while he was traveling in a vehicle in the northern Gaza Strip,” an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson told CBS News on Thursday. “The IDF is aware of the claim that uninvolved civilians were harmed as a result of the strike. The incident is under review. The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and takes all feasible measures to mitigate such harm.”
The planned screening of the game went ahead on Tuesday, with many Palestinians gathering to support Egypt.
Ahmed Younis/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty
In a statement provided to CBS News Thursday, the Egyptian Relief Committee in Gaza said that it was with “profound sorrow and grief” that it mourned Al-Wahidi’s death.
“He was a leading figure in community reconciliation and a respected national and social personality, known for his constant efforts to resolve disputes, serve his people, and strengthen the values of love, tolerance, and brotherhood within Palestinian society,” the organization said.
Throughout the World Cup, the Egyptian team’s coach Hossam Hassan has expressed support for the Palestinian people. Before the match against Argentina, he broke away from discussing the looming game to deliver an impassioned appeal for the people of Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
France and Morocco were set to face each other in a World Cup quarterfinal match Thursday afternoon. The Egyptian organization that al-Wahidi represented didn’t immediately respond to CBS News’ request for a statement on his death, or plans to continue holding the screenings in Gaza.
Since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October, ongoing Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,084 people, including nine on Wednesday alone, according to local health officials.